This week, I had the privilege of attending a two-day conference in Springfield, IL, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel: the Illinois Education & Technology Conference (IETC). I was lucky enough to be accepted as a presenter, along with my super-technology partner-in-crime, Jane Zappia, who teaches sixth grade in the same district as me.  We had both attended this conference two years ago, but then were not able to go last year due to budget cuts--if you teach in Illinois, you probably know exactly what I'm talking about--so we decided to attend this year as presenters* (pronounced "free").   

Our presentation was on using Screenr in the classroom, a free and simple web-based screencasting program with several classroom applications. You can view our presentation notes HERE, if interested:
http://tinyurl.com/clqpcbz

My Favorite Session at IETC

One of our favorite session at the IETC conference was a presentation put on by some teachers from Centralia, IL.  The session was on using green screen software.  The software wasn't free, but definitely reasonable (approximately $100 per package).  The two software packages come from the same company, but one is used for still photographs, Green Screen Wizard, and the other one is used for video footage, Green Screen Zipper.  With these programs, you can change the background of your video and create the effect of students being in any setting--the moon, the White House, under the sea.  If you can find a picture of it, you can put your students there.  Jane and I were both excited about the classroom potential for engaging students, and have put these items on our Christmas lists!

NOTE: As my brain continues to process all of the things that I learned while at IETC, expect for more blog posts...

A few weeks ago, I saw a post on an educational blog (probably Free Tech 4 Teachers) about StoryBricks, an online program that allows users to create their own MMOs.  If you are a gamer--or, in my case, married to one--then you already know what an MMO is.  If not, then allow me to explain: an MMO is a Massive Multiplayer Online game.  Basically, it is a game played online by multiple players at once; the players' characters are able to interact with one another to make the story really come to life.  Think World of Warcraft or Guild Wars.  Now, I might not be the die-hard gamer that several of my friends and family members are (yes, even my mom is a gamer) but this definitely caught my attention!

With the buzz around gaming in education, and the push for increased computer science (STEM) in schools, I was curious to check out this new option.  One of the most intriguing aspects of StoryBricks is that users don't simply play the game; they build the game using basic concept of computer programming.  Once I signed in and began playing around, the interface really reminded me of Scratch.  Scratch is a "computer programming language learning environment" created by MIT, which has been used in schools to introduce youngsters to the concepts behind computer programming.  StoryBricks, on the other hand, seems to be aimed at an older demographic.  I predict that this will be used mostly in middle school and high school classrooms.  As many students in this age group are already playing MMOs, introducing the complexities of computer programming through this format is sure to spark some students' interests.  

I'm not a computer science teacher, so my first thought was "That's great, but how can I use this in my English classroom?"  The first idea that came to mind was using StoryBricks as a digital storytelling tool; I could have students create their own interactive myths or legends.  I also notice that the commands that are used to build the stories really enforce logical thinking (if-then statements, for example).  I also thought about the revision process that students would undergo in order to get their stories to turn out well.  In short, there are many reasons why StoryBrick would make a good edition to the English classroom.  If nothing else, pose it as a challenge to the uninterested student who hates homework but loves computers; have him* work on a story during his "free time" and see where it takes him.

Below, I have embedded a brief screenshot of myself experimenting with StoryBricks.  It's best viewed if you imagine some incredibly suspenseful, adventurous music as you watch...


*or her, because computer superstars come in all shapes and sizes